Moisture-gage.



Patented Nov. 9, 1915.

2 SHEETSSHEET 0r My C. H. KELLY.

MOISTURE GAGE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 28. 1914.

1,159,500., v Patented Nov. 9, 1915;

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

ea an m clarion.

2 CHARLES H.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES H. I{ELLY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Springdale, in the county of Taylor and State of Florida, have invented new and useful-Improvements in Moisture-Gages, of

a which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to moisture gages, and it has particular reference to a moisture gage adapted to be used in connection with alumber kiln. g

In kilns for drying lumber it is necessary in order to obtain good results that a certain degree of moisture be permitted in the drying room While the drying process is in progress. An insufiicient degree of moisture causes thelumber to be surface dried, thereby closing the pores of the lumber and preventing the thorough drying of the same without cracking or splitting,

, checking or warping.

In carrying out the operation of drying lumber in kilns it has been customary to remove at stated times a portion of the lumber which is supposed to have been thoroughly dried and introducing in the place thereof' green lumber the evaporation from which is supposed to supply the necessary moisture' This j does not always operate satisfactorily, because the opening of the kiln permits the moist air to largely escape. Thus when the green lumber is introduced,

a certain time will elapse before sufficient.

moisture is developed from evaporation from such green lumber, and the partly dried lumber within the kiln be injuriously affected.

The/present invention has for its object to produce a gage whereby the amount of moisture in the drying roonrof the kiln may be correctly ascertained or made to appear at all times so that moisture may be removed from or supplied to the drying room, as.

conditions may. require, thereby enabling the drying operation to be carried out in the most successful and satisfactory manner.

A further object of the' invention is to produce a gage of simple and improved construction which will at all times visually indicate the state of humidity in the drying room with which it is connected, thus enabling measures to be quickly taken to correct any departure from the desired predetermined condition.

Specification of Letters Patent.

is thus liable to MOISTURE- A E.

PatenteiilNov. 95, 1915.

Application filed November as, 1914. Serial No. 874,466.

With these and other ends in view which will readily appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the improved construction and novel arrangement and combination of parts which will be hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawing has been illustrated a simple and preferred form of the invention, it being, however, understood that no limitation is necessarily made to the precise structural but that changes, alterations and modifications Within the scope of'the claims may be resorted to when desired.

In the drawing, Figure 1 is a side elevation partly in section, showing the improved gage applied to the wall of a drying room. Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 2-2 in Fig. 1. Fig; 3 is a side elevation partly in section, illustrating a modified construction of the improved device, and showing the same applied to the roof of a drying kiln.

Corresponding parts in the several figures are denoted by like characters 'of reference.

Through the wall of the drying room which is indicated at 15 extends a pipe or duct 16, open at its inner end and connected at its outer end with the lower end of a condensing chamber 17 which is preferably funnel-shaped at the bottom, and the upper part of which is surrounded by a water jacket 18 having inlet and outlet pipes 19, 20-to permit the circulation of a cooling medium such as cold Water. The top of the condensing chamber extends slightly above the water jacket and is provided with a valve 21 which, as shown, may be of the rotary cap type. Connected with the lower funnel-shaped end of the condensing chamber is a gage glass 22' having at its lower end a pet cook 23' adapted to discharge into a vessel 24' supported on one end of a tiltable beam or lever 25 fulcrumed on a support 26 and having at its other end an ad- 'justable Weight 27. The pipe or duct 16 is details therein exhibited,

The moisture laden air from within the drying room will escape through the pipe or duct 16, the temperature thereof being indicated by the thermometer 31. reaches the condensing chamber 17 the moisture will be condensed by the action of the cooling medium, the water of condensation settling in the gage glass 22, while the portial vacuum created in the condensing cham her will induce a constant flow-of moisture laden air from the drying chamber. The pet cock is to be set to permit the escape of the water of condensation as conditions. ascertained by experimentation. will warrant; it being understood that if condense-water escapes constantly at a predetermined rate, a constant level will be viewed in the gage glass and. furthermore, that when this level increases or decreases, it will indicate the need of changing the conditions in the drying room, either by permitting moisture laden air to escape through valves provided for the purpose or by supplying additional moisture in the form of'steam or hot water. The state of the condense-water in the gage glass will thus at any time and at a glance indicate the condition of humidity in the kiln and enable measures to be taken for the correction thereof, if nee'ded.

The cup supported on the tiltable lever 25 will serve to indicate the amount of water condensed in a given length of time, the cup being emptied at intervals by the tilting of the lever. This will serve as an indicator to assist in proper and correct adjustment of the pet cock.

In Fig. 3 of the drawings has been illustrated a somewhat modified form of the invention, and in this case the pipe or duct,- here designated 16, which connects the condensing chamber 17 with the dryingroom, is shown as extending through the roof 15 instead of through the wall of the kiln, said duct 16 being in this case of angular shape.

When the gage glass 22 is connected directly with the lower end of the condensing chamber 17, as seen in Fig. 1, there is sometimes danger of said glass being completely emptied or else that the condensewater will accumulate above the sight limit, owing to the necessarlly small capacity of the gage glass which, in order to clearly indicate variations, must be of small diameter and which also cannot be conveniently made of immoderate length. I have, therefore, in Fig. 3 shown an approximately U-shaped container C having a long limb and a short limb *1. said long limb being flanged atits upper end, as seen at 42, and connected with a flange 43 atthe lower end of the condensing chamber by means of bolts H. Between the flanges 42 and 4-1 there is interposed a straining disk 46 which may be of felt or other sufliciently porous material. Supported on the short limb 41 of the'container C and connected therewith by a gland 1 47 is a gage glass, which is here designated by 48. The pet cock, here designated by 23' As it is connected with the container C. In other respects the construction is as herein previously described.

By the modified construction herein shown the volume of condense-water registering in 73 the gage glass is materially increased, thereby increasing the efliciency of the device. By the modified construction I have also introduced the strainer 46 whereby pitch, rosin and other impurities contained in the condense-water will be intercepted and prevented from reaching the pet cook 23', th'ereby avoiding clogging the same which would interfere with the proper operation of the device.

In a drying room equipped-with the improved fmoisture gage lumber will be dried more quickly and satisfactorily than in any other manner known to me. The drying room may be filled-with green lumber, and the latter may be completely dried and cured without removing or changing any portion thereof until the drying operation is com-L plete. It obviously becomes possible to regulate the humidity of the airwithabsolute accuracy, thereby permitting the/"lumber to dry evenly throughout, without being discolored by pitch drawn to the surface, with out loosening the knots and without ship ping, checking or warping. By the use of the present invention I have in practice suc-' ceeded in reducing time of drying by onehalf, the resultant lumber. being-of a superior grade than has been obtained in kilns not provided with my improved moisture 1 gage. The latter is simple in construction and easy of instalment and operation I Having thus described the invention, whatis claimed as new, is

1. A moisture gage comprising a condens- 105 ing chamber having at'its lower end a. gage glass to receive condense-water and at its 'upper end a valve, an inlet duct connected with the condensing chamber, said duct being-equipped with a thermometer to indica'te the temperature of thepmoisiure laden air entering the condenser, awater jacketsurrounding the condenser, and a pet cock to permit the discharge of water from the gage glass.

,2. The combination with a drying room,. of a device for visually indicating the degree of humidity in such drying room,.the same consisting of a condenser communicat-= ing; with the drying room to receive the moisture. laden air therefrom, a U Sh'aDed container having one limb connected with the condenser to receive the condense-water,

a gage'glass connected with the'othei' limbof the container, and means for permitting the constant escape at a predetermined rate of water from the gage glass through the" container.

3. The combination with a drying room,

of a device for visually indicating the degree i of humidity in such drying room, the-same consisting of a condenser communicating with the drying room to receive the moisture laden air therefrom, "a U-shaped container having one limb connected With the condenser to receive the condense-water, a gage glass connected with the other limb of. the container, and a pet cock connected with the container to permit the constant escape of water from the said container and the gage glass.

4. The combination with a drying room,

of a device for visually indicating the degree ofhumidity in such drying room, the same including 'a c'ondenser communicating with 151 the drying room to receive the moisture laden air therefrom, a gage glassconnected .wlth the condenser, a strainer between the gage, glass and the condenser, and a pet. cock permitting the constant escape oflwater at an 'a predetermined rate.

F. S. Enmolin, J. ROWLAND. 

